


SoulWritten

by esperink



Series: soulwritten [1]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Squip, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Be More Chill Big Bang, Big Bang Challenge, Biromantic Brooke Lohst, Brooke-centric, Multi, Soulmates, Writing on Skin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-11-04 10:53:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17897105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esperink/pseuds/esperink
Summary: The Universe comes with predetermined Soulmates. Typically, you get get to start writing them when you're twelve. And typically, you only get one.Things aren't always so.





	SoulWritten

**Author's Note:**

> eyyyy
> 
> italics and bold is brooke  
> italics is jake  
> bold is rich

 

In sixth grade, there was a short curriculum on Soulmates. At the age of twelve, you can start communicating with your Soulmate. It’s easily done, seeing as when you write on your skin, it appears on your Soulmate’s skin.

Brooke, like everyone else, got to start writing to her Soulmate when she was twelve. Brooke didn’t notice the writing at first. It was Madeline who pointed out the writing on her arm at lunch. Brooke looked down at her arm and saw some writing in black pen. It was a small to-do list: _read 20 pages, ask about the bake sale, ask Christine about the play_.

By high school, she learned a few things in the time she’d had her Soulmate: he had a friend who loved theatre, he liked doing sports, and his name started with a J (they weren’t allowed to give names until they were adults). He seemed like a nice person.

She wasn’t sure when they would meet, but she hoped it was soon. The idea excited her, a bit.

Brooke was brought out of her thoughts by a hand covering her eyes “Guess who?” a voice said next to her ear.

“Madeline?” Brooke said, laughing a little.

“No, it’s Dustin,” Madeline replied, completely deadpan, as she removed her hands to put them on Brooke’s shoulders.

“Wow Dusty, you look different,” Brooke teased back.

Both girls grinned, knowing that Dustin hated that nickname.

“What’re you guys laughing at?” Dustin asked when they arrived at his locker.

“Nothing, Dusty,” Madeline said sweetly, pinching his cheek.

He stuck his tongue out at her and opened his locker. “Don’t be mean,” he said, switching out some folders for his lunchbox, which usually held snacks instead of an actual lunch. “Don’t you have an extra credit assignment to do?”

“Oh.” Madeline pouted. “You’re right.” She kissed Dustin’s cheek, and then Brooke’s, before waving and walking off. Brooke watched her walk away with a soft smile and a slightly pink face.

Dustin closed his locker, watching Madeline leave. He glanced at Brooke. “So how’s your Soulmate?” he asked.

“Oh,” Brooke said softly in understanding. Madeline’s Soulmate had stopped talking to her Sophomore year, and even though she always said it didn’t bother her, Brooke and Dustin knew better than to talk about Soulmates around her. “I haven’t heard back from him in a few days.”

“Maybe he’s busy.” Dustin slung his backpack over his shoulder. He rocked on his feet a moment.

“Okay, how’s yours?” Brooke asked, reading his movements. There was definitely a reason he brought Soulmates up, of course.

Dustin smiled. “We might actually meet some time this year.”

“Oh really?” Brooke tilted her head, a little surprised. “When?”

“Probably some time after we graduate,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck like he was nervous.

“Isn’t he like, in New Jersey or something?” Brooke stared at him.

“Yeah… but my family’s going to New Jersey for two weeks in July to visit my grandparents. And the college I’m looking at is there too…” When Brooke looked at him, he protested, “I’m not going to that college because he’s there, I’m actually interested in the programs offered.” He rocked on his feet again. “I’m going to bring something.”

“Really? The first time you meet him?” Brooke raised a brow.

“Well, yeah.. he likes old sodas and games. And I know where I can get that stuff. I was thinking Mountain Dew Red. It was discontinued in the nineties.”

Brooke smiled a little. “That’s cute.”

“What is?”

“You want him to like it.”

Dustin shrugged shyly. “I mean, isn’t that the point of gifts?”

Brooke opened her mouth to reply, but the bell rang to signal it was time to go to first period. “Oh, I can’t be late for math again. Mrs. Johnson’ll have my head.”

“We still going off campus for lunch?” Dustin confirmed.

“Pretty sure.” With that, Brooke turned and walked to class.

* * *

 

The small group met up at lunch. Madeline was already sitting in Dustin’s truck when Brooke arrived, with Dustin nowhere to be seen.

“Did you break in or something?” Brooke asked, slightly confused.

“Nah, I stole Dusty’s keys right after third period.” Madeline grinned and held up a keychain with some keys and trinkets, winking.

Brooke covered her smile with her hand and got in the truck. They only had to wait a minute before Dustin arrived. “Can I have my keys back, please?” he said, sliding into the driver’s seat.

Madeline draped herself over his arm dramatically for a moment before relenting. “Yeah, sure. I don’t know how to drive anyway.” She tossed him his keys, which he barely caught, before leaning back to sit between her two friends. She leaned against Brooke’s shoulder, and Brooke allowed this as Dustin drove them to their favorite lunch place.

“Are any of you guys like, having trouble with like, physics?” Madeline asked, yawning for a moment, which caused Brooke and Dustin to yawn. Brooke playfully glared at her.

“That’s easy stuff,” Dustin said with a shrug.

“We’re not all Mister Science like you,” Madeline said, poking his cheek. “Help me with physics and I’ll help you with English?”

“Deal.”

“I don’t feel like reading the book Mr. Erikson assigned,” Brooke said.

“Just like… Google it,” Madeline said, lifting her body from Brooke’s side.

“That’s cheating!”

Madeline only shrugged as Dustin pulled into the drive-thru and started ordering.

Brooke shook her head and took a pen out of her backpack to write herself a reminder on her hand. **_Try to read a few chapters of the english book._ ** She put the pen away as Dustin handed her and Madeline their food.

“Finally, I’m starved,” Madeline said, grabbing the bag and taking her food out of it.

“You’re dramatic,” Brooke said fondly. Movement on her arm caught her eye. Oh, her Soulmate was writing!

_What book are you reading for English?_

**_1984\. By george something_ **

_Oh Christine read that. Without it being required._

**_Is it any good?_ **

_She liked it. We have to read it later for English though. Chloe says she might just pay someone to do it for her._

Brooke hummed to herself and put her pen away. She thought about her Soulmate, and his friends, as she picked up her sandwich. She knew it wasn’t at all logical to get a bit jealous that it seemed that most of his friends were females. They probably weren’t even going to meet for a while, so it was a silly thing to get jealous over.

“It’s like, Big Brother stuff, so maybe you can get Dustin to read it for you,” Madeline was saying, elbowing the mentioned boy.

“Are you trying to take advantage of my interests, Mads?” Dustin asked, pretending to be serious.

“Only for our dear friend here.” Madeline grinned one of those grins, tongue sticking out between her teeth, and Dustin and Brooke laughed. The group of three continued to banter as they ate their lunch.

They got back to campus with only a few minutes to spare.

* * *

 

Brooke doodled lazily on her arm. She probably should have been paying attention, it was English class, but she didn’t really feel like it. She smiled a little, when her Soulmate also started to doodle. As she doodled hearts and flowers he doodled stars and spirals.

She looked back up to see if the teacher was still presenting the power point. Seeing that he was preoccupied she started to write.

**_Are you doing anything this weekend?_ **

_I’m throwing a party_

**_That sounds fun!_ ** She doodled a smiley face. **_Who’s going?_ **

_A lot of people. It should be interesting._

She nodded to herself, glancing at the time.

_What are you doing this weekend?_

**_Homework probably._ **

_I bet you’ll get it done easy. You’re smart._

Brooke smiled. The teacher noticed her attention was elsewhere, at that time, and called Brooke’s attention to him, so Brooke quickly pulled down her sleeve and turned her eyes to the front of the room.

After school, though, she wrote more to her Soulmate. She was determined to know more about him, by the time they met. Whenever they met. She smiled whenever he replied.

And she liked to think they were close, in some way.

* * *

 

Brooke had just finished her nightly shower when she noticed handwriting that wasn’t her Soulmate’s script on her skin. She furrowed her brow, knowing that occasionally he let friends write on him, but it was always a reminder or a joke. This was loopy handwriting that read ‘Property of Chloe’.

She remembered her Soulmate mentioning a Chloe. A friend. But this script wasn’t in a particularly easy to reach place, and definitely not where you’d see if you were wearing shorts. She bit her lip and frowned, inspecting it. She could think of very few situations where someone would be able to reach that place. At the moment, though, she could only think of one.

She needed to talk to Madeline.

She got dressed and went to her friend’s house. Madeline answered the door, and Brooke didn’t have to say anything for Madeline to notice that she was not happy. “Do you want to talk in my room?” she asked, knowing her parents were in the kitchen. Brooke only nodded and followed Madeline to her room. “What’s wrong?”

“I think something happened,” Brooke said simply.

“Such as?”

Brooke looked down. “I think my Soulmate is with somebody else.”

“What?”

Brooke explained how she’d seen the writing, and then explained her train of thought. Her eyes stayed on the ground the whole way through.

“Oh,” Madeline said. “Do you want a hug?”

Brooke nodded and Madeline put her arms around her.

Brooke burrowed into her friend, breathing deeply. Madeline was good. She was a good person. She was so caring. She probably wouldn’t do this. She’d be a great Soulmate. Brooke thought, for a moment, that Madeline’s Soulmate was lucky to have her as theirs, even if they didn’t talk to her.

Madeline stroked her hair for a fair bit before Brooke pulled away, looking up at her. There was so much to like about Madeline, she believed.

Without thinking, Brooke leaned forward, closing her eyes and pressing her lips to Madeline’s.

Nothing happened for a few moments. It was quiet, and Madeline’s lips were soft. She didn’t recoil, like Brooke had half-expected.

Madeline gently pushed her away by her shoulder. Brooke made a soft, sad sound. “You’re pretty vulnerable right now, love,” Madeline said softly.

“But--” Brooke dropped her hands as Madeline cupped her chin.

“I don’t want you to regret anything, yeah? Your emotions are running pretty high right now. And I know you.” Madeline placed her hands on Brooke’s cheeks. “You don’t really think when you’re upset.”

Brooke looked down at her hands in her lap. They had been friends since kindergarten. If there was anyone who knew her well, it’d be Madeline, she knew. “Do you want me to leave?”

“Nah,” Madeline replied, moving her hands away from Brooke’s face. Brooke kept down another sad sound. “Unless you want to leave. It is pretty late.”

“It is pretty late,” Brooke echoed. She bit her lip. “I don’t want to leave.”

Madeline smiled a little. “Then we can have a sleepover like old times, yeah?” Brooke nodded and Madeline clapped in excitement. “I’ll go get the snacks. I think some of your pajamas are still in the guest room closet.” She got up and went to the kitchen.

Brooke went to the kitchen after she got changed. Madeline was making popcorn on the stove. Most, if not all, of the kitchen cabinets were open, showing various dishes, pots and pans, and food.

Brooke smiled a little. Madeline was messy, not with food, but with the way she found things. Brooke started closing the cabinets as she listened to the popcorn kernels pop, before turning around to lean against the counter next to the stove.

Madeline smiled and waved at her, and Brooke tried not to sigh wistfully.

“So I was thinking,” Madeline said, “about… popcorn with candy, some chips, and pretzels, and then later we could bake cookies and cupcakes!”

“Popcorn’s a movie food,” Brooke noted.

“Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. I just rented the newest Marvel movie.”

“Just right now?”

Madeline grinned again. “Isn’t technology wonderful?”

Brooke smiled a little again. The two friends put the snacks in separate bowls, going to sit on the couch. Madeline brought up the movie on the TV and pressed play. Brooke couldn’t help but lean into her shoulder. It probably didn’t help that Madeline was a very touchy feely sort of friend.

They watched the movie and had a grand old time. When that was done, Brooke had gotten a little sleepy, but she insisted on making the cookies and cupcakes like they had planned. They took separate bowls - Brooke started stirring the batter for the cupcakes and Madeline was measuring ingredients for sugar cookies.

“Homemade or store bought frosting?” Madeline asked, after taking the cupcake tin from a cabinet and sliding it over to Brooke, along with some cupcake liners.

“For the cupcakes?” Madeline nodded. “Store bought is probably fine, since that’s how the cupcakes are too.” Brooke shrugged a little.

Madeline nodded in agreement before plopping down small amounts of cookie dough on the baking sheet. They both put their snacks in the oven, each setting their own timers. Madeline grabbed a chocolate bar to snack on.

Brooke sat on a chair, one leg pulled up and her arm wrapped around it. She thought about the kiss she tried to give Madeline. She grimaced slightly. Madeline probably didn’t appreciate that.

“I’m sorry,” Brooke said almost sadly. “You aren’t even into girls, are you?”

Madeline looked at her incredulously, taking a bite of her chocolate bar before answering. “Brooke, I’m not straight.”

Brooke looked at her in surprise. “You’re not? I didn’t know that.”

“I mean, I’m kind of open about it,” Madeline said, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t think I ever really noticed it,” Brooke replied slowly.

“Brookie. I literally said I was essentially in love with Jenna Rolan in eighth grade.”

“I thought you were being overdramatic about her letting you borrow her sweater!” Brooke defended.

Madeline laughed. “Okay, I was being a little overdramatic, but I still did have feelings for her at the time. I thought i was being somewhat obvious.” She smiled. “Maybe you’re just like… really oblivious.”

“I must be,” Brooke said with a slight roll of her eyes. She rested her head on her knees. “So you’re a lesbian?”

“No.”

Brooke furrowed her brows. “Bi?” she guessed next.

“No. I’m polysexual,” Madeline answered.

“I have… no clue what that means.”

“It means I can be attracted to many, but not all, genders.”

Brooke murmured the definition to herself. “Okay,” she said softly. Then she furrowed her brow. “I guess I’m not straight either.”

“Yeah, you made that pretty obvious.”

“But there’s -- so many definitions, I don’t know which one I would fit.”

“Well, you don’t have to find something right away,” Madeline said gently. “And a lot of sexualities tend to overlap…”

Brooke hummed softly.

* * *

 

Brooke couldn’t help but feel curious about Madeline’s Soulmate later. There was very little she knew about them, because they had stopped writing. It might be insensitive to ask about it, which she didn't like, but she really wanted to know.

“Madeline?” she said quietly. The room was dark, and they’d gotten into bed an hour ago. She didn’t know if Madeline would even be awake.

“Hm?” Madeline was half asleep. Brooke considered maybe asking her later, but she didn’t know if she’d remember.

Maybe it was a little selfish, to wake her up to ask her about it. “Do you remember anything about your Soulmate?”

It was silent for a minute, before Madeline turned and rubbed her eyes, looking at her friend. “What?”

Brooke hesitated. “Your Soulmate.”

“Well, you know the story,” Madeline murmured, yawning. “They stopped writing to me a bit ago. Haven’t heard from them since.”

“Have you tried writing them?”

“Yeah, obviously,” Madeline replied, turning back on her side. Now she hummed. “There must have been a reason, right?” Her voice was small and uncertain, something Brooke wasn’t used to hearing from her.

“There has to be a reason,” Brooke agreed. She didn’t know why someone would stop writing their Soulmate out of the blue. Unless they got hurt badly… but Brooke hoped that wasn’t the case.

It was silent for another minute. “Goodnight, Brookie.”

Brooke nodded and closed her eyes. “Night Madeline.”

* * *

 

It was the next day when she noticed something else on her skin. She checked the rest of the body, noting that the ‘Property of Chloe’ had been erased. But the thing she first noticed that morning was a small, red, cartoony heart on the back of her hand. She stared at it, confused, before trying to rub it away.

That didn’t work, so she assumed maybe her Soulmate had done it. She hoped that it was just a pen drawing or something temporary, because she didn’t think she’d appreciate it being permanent.

She picked up a pen that was on Madeline’s bathroom drawer and drew an arrow on her hand pointing to the heart, with a question mark. She waited for a few moments, watching, before setting the pen down and walking to the kitchen. Maybe he’d answer later.

She had just finished eating breakfast with Madeline when she noticed her Soulmate start to write back.

_I didn’t do that_

She furrowed her brows, and asked Madeline for another pen, which was provided, to write back.

**_What do you mean you didn’t do it? I didn’t do it_ **

_I don’t know where it came from I swear_

“What’s up?” Madeline asked, seeing Brooke’s confused expression.

“This heart,” Brooke said, showing the other girl. “Neither of us… did this.”

Madeline hummed softly, resting her chin on her fist and looking slightly confused as well. “I mean – oh look, he’s writing!”

Brooke looked back down at her hand. Handwriting curled around her hand, ending up on her palm. She turned her hand over to read it. This wasn’t her Soulmate’s handwriting. It was different.

**it was me**

“Oh, the plot thickens,” Madeline said, lifting her mug of coffee to take a sip.

Brooke rolled her eyes lightly at her, before grabbing the pen again. Her Soulmate beat her to the punch, though.

_Who are you??_

**who are** **you** **?**

“You know, I think I’ve heard of this before,” Madeline said, taking Brooke’s attention away from her hand. “It’s pretty rare though.”

“What?”

“Having a second Soulmate. I think Jenna Rolan’s mentioned her Soulmate has a second Soulmate.”

“Wait, what?”

Madeline only shrugged.

Brooke looked back down. The two different handwritings had trailed off and stopped. Neither really had an answer. She started to write.

**_I think we have a second soulmate_ **

**I didn’t even know I had a Soulmate**

_you never saw any writing?_

**no**

“I guess we have a lot to catch up on,” Brooke murmured, standing. She looked over at Madeline. “See you at school?”

Madeline nodded, and they hugged, Madeline waving her off.

Brooke took a deep breath and headed home. When she got there, she checked to see if her parents were around. It was unlikely, but she wanted to make sure so that she wouldn’t be interrupted. She sat on her bed and looked back down at her arm. She got her gel pen out and started writing.

It took a while, but from what Brooke understood, the second Soulmate hadn’t seen any handwriting until that very day. Brooke had asked if anything noteworthy had happened recently, and the second Soulmate had mentioned a birthday.

 **_Oh, happy birthday!_ ** she wrote.

They all agreed that the birthday was why the second Soulmate suddenly appeared.

Brooke busied herself with learning about her new Soulmate. She still thought it was a little weird, that she had a second one. She had never heard about it until that morning. She learned that his name started with R and that he lived in New Jersey. She learned that the heart was just a little temporary tattoo, since he’d been interested in tattoos recently.

 **_maybe we should have nicknames_ ** , she wrote. **_since now there’s more than one soulmate to keep track of._ **

**okay, how about names from sherlock?**

_i have never seen that._

**you guys have to watch it! it’s great. but i guess that means no nicknames from that.**

**what about colors?**

**_colors?_ **

**yeah, there’s three primary colors.**

Brooke quickly googled it. **_i’ll be yellow then_ **

**i’ll be red**

_and that leaves me with blue. i like it._

She heard the front door open and looked up. Her parents were supposed to be home this weekend, she remembered.

“Talking to your Soulmate, Brooke?” her mother asked absentmindedly as she set the grocery bags down on the counter.

Brooke stood to help with the groceries. “Yes,” she replied, hesitant. She put on her cardigan, to hide the different handwriting on her arm. She reached into the paper bag and started putting away the vegetables.

Brooke watched as her mother wrote something on her hand for her father to read, before going to grab more groceries.

“So uh,” Brooke began. “One of my friends has a second Soulmate.”

Her mom frowned and made a face.

“Okay,” Brooke said quietly, deciding not to mention it again. She tried bringing it up to her dad later, but he didn’t react positively either. His reaction was a bit more obvious and louder. She mostly kept it to herself after that.

* * *

 

Madeline and Brooke were in Madeline’s room both with laptops and both, honestly, quite tired. They were applying to colleges, and it was sometimes trouble to find the requirements to apply, like GPA or application cost. The cost would be no problem, of course, but Brooke would like to know anyway.

“We should like, apply to the same college,” Madeline said, hanging half off her bed as Brooke sat on the floor with her laptop open to a college application. “Just for kicks.”

Brooke looked up from her screen. “There’s like so many to choose from, though.”

“We should randomly pick something.” Madeline righted herself into a sitting position, grabbing her paper and scanning it. “Like, oh, Pennsylvania State.”

Brooke opened up a new tab. “Let’s do it,” she said with a smile.

They helped each other and then submitted the application at the same time. It took a while (there were so many things to fill out) but it got done. “Time to go back to the boring stuff,” Madeline said with a small, dramatic sigh. “Maybe we should take a break.”

“Yeah… it’s been a while. Let’s go get a snack.” Brooke stretched her legs and closed her laptop as Madeline did the same.

“Let’s get a slushy!” Madeline said, standing and grabbing her wallet. She slipped on her shoes and Brooke followed her out the door, leaving the college applications for some other time.

* * *

 

Brooke had barely woken up, but her phone was already ringing. It was Madeline, so she picked up, nearly regretting it afterwards.

“BROOKE!!”

“Ah!” Brooke yelped, nearly falling back into her bed. “Madeline!”

“Sorry, Brookie,” Madeline said quickly. “But, you got accepted to Pennsylvania State, right?”

“Right,” Brooke replied, after yawning and sitting back up.

“Guess what acceptance letter I just got?”

Brooke stood, eyes widening. “Pennsylvania State?”

“YES!” Brooke could imagine Madeline jumping up with a cheer.

Brooke smiled. “That’s great!”

“I know right?! We could try rooming together too if you’d like.” The sound of a paper turning around. “Deadline for dorms is in two weeks.”

“We should totally do that,” Brooke agreed.

“I can’t wait. This is going to be the best thing. We need to have a celebration, or something!”

“We could all go to dinner? There’s a new place near the school.”

Madeline agreed, and they settled details. Madeline then hung up to call Dustin, and Brooke just sat on her bed happily for a few moments. She wouldn’t be going away from her best friend.

She started doodling a heart with a pattern, which she usually did when happiest.

**how are you doing?**

**_i’m really happy. I get to stay with my friend for college._ **

**That’s great!**

Brooke smiled, then laid down, making sure she was still able to write. **_Are you going to college?_ **

**I’m going to community college first.**

_I still have a few to choose from._

**_Make sure you pick one you actually like._ **

Madeline, weeks later, jumped in excitement, putting her hands on Brooke’s shoulder before hugging her. “Isn’t this exciting?” she said.

Brooke was taken aback by her sudden movement. “What?”

“We’re gonna be roommates!” Madeline shoved a paper into Brooke’s hands. It was a letter from their college, confirming roommate arrangements.

“That’s great!” She was glad to have Madeline as her roommate; they’d known each other for years and since they were regularly at each others’ houses they were used to each other and knew how each other worked.

“We already basically live together,” Madeline said, speaking Brooke’s thoughts. “So it’ll be fun. Which is good, because I hear college is stressful. I wouldn’t want to be without my best friend.” She grinned.

Brooke smiled back, happy to hear that after so many years Madeline still considered her her best friend. “I can’t wait.” They still did have a while to go  before they went to college, though. They would be graduating in a few weeks, and then there was the summer before college. “I still can’t believe they accepted both of us.”

Madeline gave a sure giggle. “Well, I’m not gonna question it. I’m just really glad I’ll have you around.”

* * *

 

The small group of three was at Madeline’s house, for a post-graduation movie night -- well, afternoon. Dustin and Brooke sat on opposite sides of the couch, waiting for Madeline to grab the popcorn from the kitchen. Madeline soon returned and sat herself in the middle of the couch.

“So,” Madeline said, putting an arm around Dustin’s shoulder and booping him on the nose. “I heard youuu were going to meet your Soulmate this summer!”

Dustin shot Brooke a glance. “Well…,” he said.

“Oh, Brooke didn’t tell me,” Madeline assured him. “You just don’t know how to shut up when you’re excited about something.” She grinned when he blushed. “Anyway, he ought to be nice to you when you visit or I’ll fly there and have a talk with him myself.”

Dustin mumbled something that sounded like, “You’re not my mom.”

Madeline laughed a little. “No, but I _am_ a bit of a Mom friend of this group.” She booped his nose again and turned to put the movie in the dvd player. “And I care a lot about you two.” When she pressed play she settled back and offered Dustin and Brooke popcorn.

They chatted a bit about Soulmates after the movie. Madeline offered advice, also reminding Dustin to be safe and text her when he arrived in New Jersey and other times.

“Okay, _mom_ ,” Dustin said, laughing. Madeline stuck her tongue out at him and gently smacked him.

“I’m serious,” she said, rolling her eyes slightly. “I love you guys.”

“I’ll be fine,” Dustin promised, wrapping an arm around her.

“Good,” she said, poking his cheek. She glanced at Brooke. “How are your Soulmates?”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Dustin interrupted, taking his arm from around Madeline’s shoulders and looking at the blonde. “Soulmates?”

“I must have forgotten to mention it,” Brooke said quickly, raising her hands in defense.

“So, what, do you have two Soulmates now?” Brooke nodded. “How does that even happen?”

“I have no clue, honestly.”

“Two Soulmates…”

“You’re not allowed to judge,” Madeline warned him.

Dustin hummed and said, “Okay. This just means I have twice the guy to fight if they break your heart.”

The girls laughed. Brooke was relieved that Dustin didn’t say much about it. She figured that he’d get used to it, as time passed. But she remembered to answer Madeline’s question. “They’re doing okay. They’re both planning to go to college too. Red is doing some community college first, though.”

“Oh, that’s smart,” Madeline said.

* * *

 

Madeline called her a few weeks before college started. “You should totally come over,” she said, “and like, help me pack.”

“I still have to pack, though,” Brooke replied.

“How about… you help me pack, and then I help you pack.”

“We can do that.”

When Brooke got there Madeline already had a few half-filled boxes and was looking at a folded piece of paper.

“What’s that?” Brooke questioned.

“My parents made me a list of things I should bring,” Madeline replied. “A lot of this stuff looks almost useless, honestly.” She handed the list to Brooke. “Like, rubber bands?”

Brooke took the list and looked at it. “I mean, rubber bands have uses… But I can’t think of anything noteworthy.” She skimmed the list.

“Clothes are obvious. So are hangers. And like, school supplies.” Madeline shrugged and walked to her closet. “I don’t even have a sewing kit.”

“They probably just want you to be really prepared,” Brooke said. “Can I use this while packing my own stuff?”

“Yeah, go ahead, my mom made two copies.”

Brooke nodded and looked once more at the list. It occurred to her that maybe Madeline’s mom made two copies because of Brooke, and she thought it was nice. “Honestly, we could probably each pack half of this stuff. Since we’re going to be living together anyway.”

“I like the way you think, my friend.” Madeline smiled. “Let’s figure out who should bring what.” She sat herself down right next to Brooke and placed her head on her shoulder to also look at the list.

They split the list evenly between them, each claiming which thing to bring, and packing with Madeline was much easier. Madeline kept mentioning that she wasn’t sure how some things on the list even mattered, but Brooke decided to trust the list since Madeline’s parents had gone to college themselves.

It was late afternoon by the time they finished packing at Madeline’s house. Even with the list, there were a few more decisions Madeline had to make, like clothing choices and whether or not she was going to bring her own books, and which.

Madeline told her mother she’d be going to Brooke’s to help her pack, and the two teens started walking down the street.

“Still so excited,” Madeline said, balancing on the curb of the sidewalk as she walked. “It’s like something out of a movie, or something.” Brooke watched with a small smile.

They got to Brooke’s house, but didn’t start packing right away. They instead watched a movie and a half, and then ordered pizza, and then finally started packing.

They finally finished around midnight, so Madeline spent the night.

* * *

 

Dustin had already gone to see his Soulmate. Madeline had told him to video call them while there, so he did. He video called Brooke’s phone, and Brooke answered.

Madeline leaned over Brooke’s shoulder. Brooke shifted and moved her phone to her other hand. “Hey Dusty!” Madeline said, giving a little wave.

Dustin made a little face before replying with, “Hey Maddy.” He smirked slightly when she made her own face at the nickname.

“How’s New Jersey?”

“Not bad, actually. The city my family’s staying in is pretty small but I guess it could be worse.” Dustin made a so-so gesture with his free hand.

“So tell us about your Soulmate,” Madeline said, leaning forward more.

“Did he like your gift?” Brooke asked.

Dustin grinned. “He did, actually! He said he’d been looking all over for it!”

“That’s some coincidence,” Madeline murmured.

“He’s also uh, a lot cuter than I thought he would be,” Dustin added.

“Aw, he has a crush,” Madeline teased.

Dustin rolled his eyes. “He’s my Soulmate, of course I’m going to like him.”

“Well, I’m glad,” Brooke said before Madeline could interject another tease. “Are you having fun? Do you get to see him again?”

Dustin nodded. “Yeah, but in a few days. I still have to take a tour on that college campus.”

“I’m sure you’ll have a great time.” Brooke smiled.

* * *

 

“Are you excited?” Madeline whispered, vibrating with said excitement, early one morning.

“I’m more tired than anything,” Brooke replied with a yawn while rubbing her eyes.

“Yeah, it’s early, but we’re gonna be in Pennsylvania soon!” Madeline clasped her hands with a grin.

Brooke didn’t really reply, instead resting her head on Madeline’s shoulder. “Did it have to be so early?” she mumbled.

Their plane was called and they boarded. Brooke barely stayed awake for the first few minutes while Madeline chatted. Madeline then glanced at her and said, “Take a nap, Brookie.” Brooke yawned before nodding and closing her eyes.

They arrived at their college within a few hours. They’d almost gotten lost on the way there, but someone was kind enough to point them in the right direction and help them until they were absolutely certain of where they were going.

They got their dorm keys and got to the dorms. Madeline was almost vibrating with excitement, causing the shorter girl to giggle.

The place was empty, bar the beds, desks, and various boxes placed everywhere. Both girls claimed a side (Madeline insisted on having the one with two windows, saying that the sun would help her wake up for her morning class) and started opening boxes.

“We should buy decorations,” Madeline said, setting her lamp on her desk.

“Wasn’t that on the list?” Brooke asked.

“Oh, right.” Madeline paused. “I thought it wasn’t necessary.”

Brooke rolled her eyes slightly. They’d have to go shopping later. For now, though, they got to work emptying the boxes.

* * *

 

Brooke woke up on a day off to find a conversation already written on her arm. She blinked blearily at it before yawning and rubbing her eyes, refocusing on it. Blue and Red seemed to be talking about something. She read it over before frowning and grabbing her bedside table pen.

**_We are not getting a tattoo_ **

**Come on i really want one**

**_Why would you?_ **

**_Red??_ **

**I just thought it’d be cool**

**_Blue?_ **

_I wouldn’t mind a tattoo as long as it’s in an easy to cover place_

**Exactly, i want one on my shoulder**

Brooke sighed and covered her face, not looking at the conversation anymore. “I’m going back to bed,” she murmured, rolling back over her bed and burying her face into her pillow.

“You okay over there?” Madeline asked from her side of the room. She was painting her toenails.

Brooke only groaned in response. “I don’t want a tattoo,” she said after a few moments.

Madeline laughed, not understanding. “What?”

“Red wants a tattoo,” Brooke explained, her voice muffled by her pillow.

“Oh, so that was what the furious scribbling was about,” Madeline said, closing her nail polish bottle and tossing it in her bedside drawer. “Have you thought about compromise?”

“How does that work?”

“I mean, you could just cover the tattoo with makeup if you needed to. Wait, do you even get the tattoo when your Soulmate does?” Madeline questioned suddenly.

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

“Maybe you could just try it out.”

Brooke stared at her. “Yeah, I guess,” she admitted.

It turned out, after all, that yes, getting a tattoo did cause it to appear on your Soulmate. Brooke learned this a few days later, when she spotted something new on her shoulder.

“Seriously?” she said, examining it in the mirror. It didn’t look bad, she supposed, it was a simple and nice design, but she had never actually planned on getting a tattoo, ever.

* * *

 

At the end of the school semester, Brooke sighed softly, staring at the ink on her shoulder in the mirror she stood in front of. She scowled at it, only for a moment, before pulling on her signature cardigan, thankfully covering it. She wasn’t sure what she’d say to her family if they spotted it. She would have to hide it. She was going home for Christmas break.

Of course, she didn’t even have any idea how her break would go, since her family had moved after she went to college.

She looked glanced to the other side of the room, where Madeline usually resided. She’d gone home early. She still thought the tattoo issue was hilarious.

Brooke sighed and picked up her suitcase. She started her way home, arriving at the airport with plenty of time to spare.

She spent a lot of her time on the plane thinking and writing on her arm. By the time she’d landed, both her arms were covered in writing. She was grateful for her cardigan, as she pulled down her sleeves to cover her arms again.

* * *

 

 **Maddy: (4:32 PM)** BROOKE!

 **Brooke: (4:37 PM)** You’re loud even in text.

 **Brooke: (4:37 PM)** What’s up?

 **Maddy: (4:38 PM)** My soulmate.

Brooke’s eyes widened and she sat up. She hadn’t really expected Madeline’s Soulmate to make an appearance, after disappearing without an explanation Sophomore year of high school.

 **Brooke: (4:38 PM)** What?

 **Brooke: (4:39 PM)** Did you meat them?

 **Brooke: (4:39 PM)** *meat

 **Brooke: (4:40 PM)** *MEET

She scowled at her typo. Madeline didn’t point it out.

 **Maddy: (4:41 PM)** No but they’re writing to me

 **Maddy: (4:41 PM)** I don’t know what to do, it’s been years.

Madeline always seemed to know what she was doing, so her saying that surprised Brooke a little bit. She always seemed on top of things, rarely worried.

 **Brooke: (4:42)** What are they saying?

She received a picture and opened it. It was of Madeline’s tan arm with neat handwriting on it. There was just a single word: ‘hi’.

 **Maddy: (4:44 PM)** I don’t know what to do.

 **Maddy: (4:44 PM)** help

 **Brooke: (4:45 PM)** Umm maybe say hi back and as why they were gone?

 **Brooke: (4:46 PM)** Or is that too straightforward?

 **Maddy: (4:46 PM)** that’s actually a good question

 **Brooke: (4:47 PM)** Let me know how it goes.

Setting her phone aside, she looked down at her arm. Her Soulmates seemed to be busy at the moment. She wondered if it was because of winter break. She thought that would be a little odd, though, seeing as school time she felt busiest.

Her Soulmates had written little reminders and doodles. She smiled a little, shading in the heart that one of them had drawn.

She wondered how different things would have been if she and Madeline switched places. What would she think if her Soulmate had disappeared for a few years? She didn’t think she’d appreciate it. She wondered how that was going to affect the two.

She doodled a little before getting up and glancing around her room. Her phone buzzed and she unlocked it, looking at the screen.

 **Maddy: (5:07 PM)** i chickened out

Brooke sent her a few heart emojis to show her support for her best friend.

* * *

 

She got a part-time job at her aunt’s flower shop. She liked being there. She loved the flowers and the smell and being able to assemble bouquets when she had the freedom to. She spent her days there, not minding the work and being pleased that she was getting paid for something she enjoyed.

She was in the back with some extra flowers when she heard the bell above the store door ring. “Be right there,” she called, trying to make a decision before she went to the front to greet the customer. “Hi!” she said brightly. “How can I help you?”

“Hi,” the boy said, running a hand through his hair. Brooke absentmindedly thought he was cute. “Um, I need some white carnations? Three.”

“I’ll get right on that,” Brooke said, going to grab the said flowers. She put them together, tying up the group with a ribbon. It took a moment, but she settled on a royal blue ribbon. She set them next to the computerized cash register and opened an order. “Do you have an account with us?” The boy nodded. “Number?”

He rattled off a number, and she punched it in.

“Okay, that’ll be 5.35,” she said. “Oh, that’s a nice tattoo.”

The boy, Rich according to the computer, stopped rummaging through his pockets long enough to look at what she was talking about. It was a heart, red, with a white ribbon wrapped around it once. He smiled and said, “Oh, thanks.” He found his money, paid, and left.

She forgot about his appearance until later, busy with other customers. She didn’t expect the flower shop to be so busy in the winter. It was winter, after all. But then, she supposed, it was when most people had some time off and therefore probably more reasons to get flowers.

She was taking off her cardigan at home when a flash of red caught her eye. The tattoo her Soulmate had gotten.

“Shit!”

“Brooke? Are you alright?” she heard her dad ask.

“Uh, yeah!” she called back. She stared at the white-lined red tattoo in the mirror, not quite sure what she should do. Should she try to contact him? She picked up a pen but hesitated.

* * *

 

Brooke walked down the street, window-shopping and trying to figure out what gifts she should buy for her family. That proved to be a little more difficult with Soulmates on her mind. In the end, she had decided not to contact her Soulmate, wanting to see if it was possible to see him again. She wasn’t paying too much attention to her surroundings, trying and failing to focus.

She slowed down near a coffee shop. She straight-up stopped when she saw a familiar face. “Rich!” she said, hurrying to catch up to him.

He looked a bit confused for a moment before recognizing her. “Oh, you’re the girl from the flower shop, aren’t you?” he asked.

She nodded and stuck out her hand. “I’m Brooke,” she said, catching her breath still.

He shook her hand. “Rich, but you already know that…” He paused, like he was trying to figure out why she stopped him.

“Oh, I needed to confirm something,” she explained after a moment of confused silence. “Um, this might be a weird question, but can I see your tattoo again?”

He opened his mouth to question her but his voice faltered when she took off her cardigan. “That’s… hm.” He looked up at her after a moment. “Wanna get coffee some time?”

Brooke smiled, a little relieved. “I’d love that.”

* * *

 

Rich had somewhere he needed to be, so they set a time for the next day.

Brooke was excited, if she was being honest. When her dad asked why she was so happy, she simply says that she met her Soulmate. She doesn’t clarify – she hadn’t tried to say she had two Soulmates since high school, where her parents didn’t quite understand and react well.

Brooke arrived at the little coffee shop that she and Rich had stopped near the day before. It was rather cold compared to previous day, so she wore a blue beanie, a white scarf, and pink and white mittens. She put her hands on her face, trying to warm it up with the mittens, as she waited outside for Rich.

When he arrived she waved at him, and he waved back, making his way to her. “It’s cold,” he mentioned, and Brooke nodded in agreement as the pair stepped inside the coffeeshop.

The two waited in line, in an awkward silence almost at first, until Rich brought up a random topic to chat about. They finally got to the front and ordered.

“Name?” the tall barista asked, grabbing two cups and a marker.

Rich and Brooke gave him their names, and they moved to the side to wait for their drinks. When they got them, they went to sit at a table.

Brooke looked at her cup and noticed the handwriting. It was messy and sharp but looked familiar. She brushed it off, taking a sip of her drink. “There’s something I wanted to ask after meeting you the other day,” she started. “About our other Soulmate.”

“Blue? What about him?” Rich asked, looking at her.

“Should we tell him that we met?”

“Oh. That’s a good question.” Rich seemed to ponder it for a minute. Then he nodded. “Yeah, I think so.”

Brooke got a pen out of her purse and uncapped it. She wrote, **_I’ve met Red_ **

After a few moments of both Rich and Brooke watching and waiting, the usual messy handwriting of their other Soulmate started writing back.

“Wait,” Rich said. Brooke looked up. Rich picked up his cup, turning to the side that had his name on it. “Is it…?” The handwriting looked the same. They hadn’t realized it.

“Oh my god,” Brooke said, pushing her chair back and standing up. She grabbed her cup and then Rich’s hand without thinking, going back to the counter. Rich didn’t mention it, grabbing his own cup and walking with her.

Neither of them saw the barista that had taken their order. The only two people behind the counter were a boy with glasses and a girl wearing a jean jacket.

“Where did he go?” Brooke asked herself very quietly. She frowned slightly, looking around.

One of the baristas noticed Brooke and Rich standing there quietly. “Hi, do you need to order?” he asked, putting his hands on the counter to lean forward.

“No, we’re fine,” Brooke said quickly, blushing. She turned to Rich. “He’s not here anymore.”

“I noticed,” Rich whispered back. “Do you think he’s on break?”

“What if he’s left for the day?”

“It’s not like we can ask for him, right?”

“Yeah that might be kind of… odd…”

The male barista was watching them whisper with slight amusement in his eyes as he started cleaning the counter.

“Then what can we do?” Rich asked, still whispering.

Brooke hummed, thinking. “We could just write to him. I kind of wanted to actually, properly meet him in person, though.”

“Yeah, me too. But we might just have to wait.”

The barista spoke up. “Y’all need anything?” he asked.

The girl working with him looked over at him. She didn’t seem to have noticed Brooke’s and Rich’s conversation like he had. “’Y’all’? Michael, I think Jer would be disappointed in you,” she said.

“What? You guys say it too!” Michael pouted, but then looked back at the couple.

“Um,” Brooke said, caught off guard by his question.

“We might be looking for someone?” Rich said, his voice more of a question. “But it’s okay, we can… find him later.” He motioned to Brooke for them to leave.

“You’re looking for Jake, right?” Michael asked, stopping them.

“Is that his name?” Brooke asked, almost wistfully, despite not properly meeting him.

“Super tall? Eyes you can get lost in? Great smile?”

“Your gay is showing, Michael,” the other barista teased. “Also, haven’t you already met your Soulmate?”

“You liked him too at one point, Chris,” he reminded her. “And you’ve met your Soulmate too.” The girl just smiled and shook her head, more to herself. “And I’m pretty sure my Soulmate would agree that Jake’s good-looking. Anyway,” Michael continued, turning back to Rich and Brooke, “yeah, Jake. He left for the day.”

“Oh,” Brooke said, somewhat disappointed.

“I mean, you could probably write him.” Michael glanced at the handwriting on Brooke’s arm. Brooke fidgeted with her pen.

“He doesn’t live far from here,” his fellow barista added, her name tag saying ‘Christine’. “Maybe you could ask him to come back.”

Brooke glanced at Rich for his input. He hesitated, before nodding. “Let’s do it.”

Brooke pulled him back to the table, calling a thanks over her shoulder to Michael and Christine. She sat down and uncapped the pen. She looked down at her arm, where Blue -- or Jake, she supposed, now -- had written back to her mentioning she’d met their other Soulmate.

_That’s great! Hopefully I’ll meet you too soon._

**_That might happen sooner than you think_ **, Brooke wrote, and Rich seemed to get a chuckle out of how cryptic that sounded.

_What do you mean?_

Rich took the pen and her hand, getting a “hey!” of light indignation from Brooke, before writing on Brooke’s arm as well.

**You’re Jake right?**

“We are the most cryptic fuckers in the world right now,” Rich said, with a small laugh as he tried to clarify. He hummed, tapping the back end of the pen to his chin, thinking of something else to say.

**We are pretty sure we saw you just now.**

_How’d you get my name?_

**Your coworker.** Rich took a moment to remember his name. **Michael.**

_Oh._

Brooke squeezed Rich’s hand gently. They were both anxious.

 _I_ _ am _ _Jake_ . _I’ll go back._

“This is so exciting,” Brooke whispered, trying not to flap her hands.

Rich nodded in agreement, letting go of her hand and capping the pen.

“What, you don’t want to hold my hand?” Brooke said with a little smile, stretching her fingers.

“I’d like that, actually,” Rich admitted, almost shy. “Would you mind?” Brooke shook her head and hummed pleasantly when he held her hand again.

Brooke smiled and rested her head on her arms. The two watched the door and perked up when Jake came in. He started glancing around for them. Brooke started to raise her hand to get his attention, but then she hesitated, suddenly anxious at the thought of meeting him.

“Jake,” Rich called out, and Jake spotted them, making his way over.

“It’s -- It’s happening,” Brooke whispered, more to herself. She wasn’t sure what she had expected when she came home for break -- certainly not finding BOTH of her Soulmates.

Jake reached the table.

Brooke had honestly thought, when she’d first considered it, that she’d be the one that was more or less at ease when meeting their Soulmate. But as it turned out, she was a lot more nervous than she’d expected.

“Hi,” Jake said.

“Hi,” Brooke replied softly. Rich waved.

“Do you… want to talk outside?” Jake asked.

Brooke and Rich glanced at each other and then back at Jake, nodding. The two stood and followed him outside, still holding hands.

It was still chilly outside, so Brooke let go of Rich’s hand to put on her mittens and scarf, but she quickly grabbed his hand again.

Jake turned to the pair with an almost excited look on his face. “It’s you,” he said to both of them.

“It’s us,” Rich and Brooke said with matching grins.

* * *

 

Brooke stood at the other side of the table. And Chloe stood opposite her. Or at least, she was pretty sure it was Chloe.

Jake had wanted to hang out with his friends before everyone went off to their own separate holiday, as well as introduce his Soulmates to them, and they were all going to arrive separately. She’d already met Christine, if only briefly, at the coffee shop, so she could only assume this was Chloe.

Brooke looked down, before sitting in her seat. She placed her hands on her lap, not sure what to do with them.

“You must be Brooke,” Chloe said.

Brooke nodded.

Chloe hadn’t sat down yet. Instead she rounded the table, making her way to the blonde. Brooke felt the urge to take a step back, but she was already sitting. “Can we talk?” Chloe asked.

“Um.” Brooke hadn’t expected that at all. “Sure?” She stood, uncertainly following Chloe to a less populated area.

Chloe stopped and turned to the other girl, arms crossed. She leaned back against a wall. “So. You’re Brooke.”

“That’s… that’s me,” Brooke said. “And you’re Chloe.” It was a guess, but Chloe nodded. Brooke couldn’t say ‘nice to meet you’ because it already felt more like an interrogation than a first meeting.

“Right, well,” Chloe said. “I wanted to apologize.”

“A...pologize?”

“Yes.”

There was more awkward silence.

“My behavior during high school wasn’t the best,” Chloe said when Brooke was about to ask her to clarify. “And I’ve been told that you might have not appreciated my… possessiveness over Jake.”

Brooke really hadn’t. “Why did you do it?” she asked.

Chloe was quiet for a moment. “Like I said, I was possessive… And I didn’t like the idea of Soulmates… predetermined life partners. And I cared a lot for him.”

“Oh.”

“But so did you.” Chloe looked down at her own arm. “And I had my own Soulmate. It wasn’t right of me to disappear on her like that.”

Brooke wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

“I just wanted to apologize,” Chloe repeated, sounding like she wasn’t even sure how to.

“It’s okay,” Brooke said softly.

Chloe frowned. “No it’s not. Why aren’t you pissed? I’d be pissed. I fucked your Soulmate and made it obvious on purpose. I tried to upset you.”

Brooke grimaced at her foul language. “We were in high school. Realistically, people have experience by the time they meet their Soulmate anyway, right? I just… reacted more to it.”

Chloe glared at Brooke for a moment, arms crossed over her chest. Eventually her stance relaxed. “He’s going to love you,” she said softly, looking away.

Brooke bit her lip and looked down for a moment. Chloe pushed herself off the wall and started to walk back to the table. “I’m -- I’m sure your Soulmate will like you too,” Brooke said, not sure why she was trying to reassure her.

Chloe rolled her eyes. “I doubt it. I ditched her for years.”

Brooke wondered, for a moment, what the odds were of the possibility of _Chloe_ being the Soulmate that disappeared without a trace. Of _Chloe_ being the one that just stopped talking to Madeline without a warning.

But, that would be silly, and unlikely, Brooke thought. Madeline’s Soulmate could be anybody.

“Maybe you could make it up to her somehow,” Brooke said.

Chloe didn’t reply to that, sitting back down at the table. Brooke sat down as well, and they waited in silence for the others. One by one, others did arrive, first Christine, then Jake, then Rich. Brooke thought it was cute that Jake wanted his Soulmates to meet his friends.

It was nice to officially meet Christine. She and Rich ended up getting along really well.

“Sorry I was late,” Jake said to Brooke afterwards. “Did Chloe say anything to you?”

Brooke thought about the awkward apology from earlier, but Jake probably didn’t mean that. “No, not really,” she said.

* * *

 

 **Maddy: (1:52 PM)** I’ve been talkin to my soulmate

 **Brooke: (1:56 PM)** I thought you said you chickened out?

 **Maddy: (1:58 PM)** I did

 **Maddy: (1: 58 PM)** but then I spent a day sleep-deprived

Brooke shook her head, slightly amused.

 **Brooke: (1:59 PM)** So what happened?

 **Maddy: (1:59 PM)** We sort of talked about what happened

 **Maddy: (2:01 PM)** she said there was a reason but she didn’t want to get into it yet

Brooke nodded at the text, thinking that reasons could probably wait till later. She set her phone down and went to grab a snack and a glass of water. She sat back down in her room and looked at her phone again.

 **Maddy: (2:02 PM)** her name is Chloe and she’s currently staying in nj

Brooke nearly dropped her glass of water, but managed to set it down without spilling it.

 **Brooke: (2:02 PM)** Chloe??

 **Maddy: (2:03 PM)** yeah

 **Maddy: (2:03 PM)** wait

It probably wasn’t the same Chloe, Brooke reasoned with herself, because what would be the likelihood of that? There were a lot of Chloes in the world.

 **Brooke: (2:04 PM)** It’s probably nothing

 **Maddy: (2:06 PM)** yeah you’re right

 **Maddy: (2:07 PM)** we might meet up

 **Brooke: (2:07 PM)** Already?

 **Maddy: (2:08 PM)** too soon?

 _Incoming call…_ **_Maddy_ **

“I don’t know the protocol for this,” Madeline said as soon as Brooke picked up.

“I mean… when have you ever followed protocol for anything?” Brooke asked.

Some moments passed in silence. “So you’re saying I _should_ see her.”

“I’m saying…” Brooke tried to work out her words before continuing. “You _could_. There’s nothing stopping you. We’re not… kids anymore, y’know?” She leaned back against her bed’s headboard. If they were old enough to be allowed to tell names now, certainly it’s old enough to meet, right?

“Soulmates are hard.” There was a slight, playful pout in Madeline’s voice. “How did you manage two?”

Brooke smiled a little, but she knew that Madeline was asking a rhetorical question. “Just.. follow your heart.”

Madeline laughed, and there was a fondness in her next words. “That is such a Brooke response.”

After they hung up a little while later, after catching Madeline up (“I cannot believe you found both of them already,” Madeline had deadpanned.) Brooke received a text. She looked at the screen. Madeline had sent her a some green heart emojis and a ‘thanks’. Brooke smiled, before sitting down and pondering something.

**_hey jake?_ **

They should probably actually get each others’ numbers soon, she mused. It just seemed so much more convenient to just write on her skin and receive an answer.

_yeah?_

**_does chloe tell you anything about her soulmate?_ **

_sometimes why?_

**_i’m just making sure of something_ **

**_did chloe tell you her soulmate’s name?_ **

_something with an m i think._

Brooke could almost hear Madeline say “the plot thickens” like she had when they discovered that Brooke had a second soulmate.

**_madeline?_ **

_yeah that. how’d you know?_

**_i have a friend named madeline_ **

_do you think they’re each others soulmates?_

**_i think there is a chance but i don’t think we’ll actually know until they meet_ **

**that’s crazy**

**_as crazy as finding both my soulmates in the same week_ **

**i couldn’t believe it either**

_i definitely didn’t expect my soulmates to find me at work_

Brooke smiled. Yeah, that’d definitely be up there in things she wouldn’t expect. She looked back at her phone, opening up her messaging app and texting Madeline.

 **Brooke: (3:38 PM)** It’s more likely than we thought

 **Maddy: (3:42 PM)** what?

 **Brooke: (3:43 PM)** Your soulmate might actually be the Chloe that knew Jake

 **Maddy: (3:43 PM)** that’s almost hilarious

* * *

 

Brooke wondered if she should introduce her parents to her Soulmates. They were her parents, after all, but she was also now an adult who didn’t necessarily need to tell her parents anything. (Even if she hadn’t reached 20 yet). Another thing, was that she didn’t know how they’d react. She remembered asking about second Soulmates and her parents not reacting favorably.

Christmas was close, but that might not be the best time to introduce them. Or it could be, Brooke didn’t know. She wanted to get Jake and Rich something for Christmas, even if they’d only personally met such a short time ago, so she went on a walk near the stores and windowshopped a bit. She didn’t have to work at the flower shop today, as her aunt was able to handle the store, so she had plenty of time to look around. She liked working at the flower shop.

What had she learned in the time she’d had them as her Soulmates? She knew that Jake liked doing sports, and that Rich sometimes liked to read comic books.

She stopped at the bookstore, standing outside the window for a little bit before recognizing someone inside. She opened the door and went in, first perusing the isles, before going up to the counter.

“Hey Christine,” Brooke said with a little wave.

“Hi Brooke!” Christine said, waving back with a bit more energy. “How can I help you?”

Brooke thought for a moment. She had two questions, but she decided to start with the easiest. “Do you guys have comic books?”

“We do,” Christine answered, nodding. She moved from behind the counter, towards the back of the store, and Brooke followed. “They’re all right here.” Christine made a grand gesture. “We should be getting a new shipment soon, though, if they’re not what you’re looking for!”

Brooke thanked her, before asking, “Hey, do you know what Jake would like?”

“Are you getting him something for Christmas?” Christine turned to her and smiled.

“I was thinking about it, yeah,” Brooke replied, running her fingers over the comic books. “But I’m not sure what I’d get him. I can get Rich these, but Jake has talked about a lot of things in the past couple of years.”

Christine nodded and put on a thinking face. “Well, I know he likes pins,” she said after a few moments of thought. “We have some right here, actually!” She gestured to another section of the store. Brooke followed her, and Christine helped her pick some until another customer arrived.

* * *

 

Brooke stood in the kitchen, looking through the pantry for a snack. It was Christmas Eve, so she made sure not to eat any of the candied snacks that were going to be on display for the Christmas party her parents usually held the next day.

“Brooke,” her mother called, and Brooke looked up and across the kitchen. Her mother was sitting at one of the barstools. Brooke just waved, until her mother had to catch her attention again. “Come here.” Brooke obeyed. “Your father tells me you’ve met your Soulmate already.”

She had told him, hadn’t she? That she met her Soulmate. But it was only because she couldn’t say Soulmates, plural, and she had been too happy to keep the reasons for her happiness a secret. Brooke didn’t know what to say, but she nodded.

Brooke’s mother smiled. “That’s lovely. Why don’t you invite him over some time?”

She had two options, Brooke figured. She could lie, and say that her Soulmate wouldn’t be available for some time.. Or she could tell the truth, that she had found both her Soulmates, but she wasn’t sure her mother would react favorably to that.

But which one would work?

“I’m not sure he’ll be available any time soon,” she lied between her teeth, fiddling with a strand of her hair.

“It’s Christmas tomorrow, isn’t it?” her mother said. “People have the day off. The whole family could meet him.”

Yes, they could, Brooke supposed, but then it would be her whole family, not just her mom and dad. She’d have her grandparents, her aunts and uncles, and a few cousins. If she was going to introduce her Soulmates, she had originally wanted it to be one-to-one, with just them and her parents.

But another part of her wanted to invite her Soulmates anyway. She’d like to be around them for Christmas. She didn’t know how accepting her extended family would be either.

She did want to see Rich and Jake on Christmas, but before or after her whole family affair. She had presents she wanted to give them.

“I’ll ask him about it,” she finally said. They could discuss it, she supposed.

“That’s my girl,” her mother said with a smile as she stood up. Brooke couldn’t help but smile back as her mother walked to her room.

She turned back to the pantry, grabbing an apple before going back to her own room to grab a pen. She bit into the apple and held it between her teeth as she uncapped the pen and wrote a single word. **_Question_ **. She set the pen down to free her hands to properly eat her apple.

She got halfway through her apple before seeing question marks on her skin. She couldn’t tell which Soulmate had written them, but she wrote back anyway.

**_are either of you free tomorrow?_ **

**i have work in the morning but then i’m free, what’s up?**

_i’m free, why?_

**_my parents want to meet my soulmate but i only told them about one_ **

**do you want us all to meet?**

**_maybe eventually? but she wanted me to bring my soulmate tomorrow which is the family christmas party_ **

**maybe you could bring one of us for now**

**_maybe i should just get it over with_ **

_are you sure?_

Brooke took a deep breath before writing yes.

* * *

 

It was too late to back out now. Brooke doodled nervously as she waited. Some relatives had already arrived, and they heard from her parents that she had found her Soulmate, so they had questions. She answered them to the best of her ability without giving too much away.

She peered outside the window. Jake had finally arrived. She looked down at her arm, where she now saw handwriting informing her of this. She also saw some of Rich’s handwriting saying that he’d be maybe ten minutes late, due to work complications.

She ran outside to greet Jake. “Hi!” she said, smiling.

Jake smiled back. “Hi,” he replied.

She grabbed onto his arm and led him inside, grateful that he’d arrived. She’d been getting antsy with all the questions she was receiving from family. It wasn’t every day that someone found their Soulmate, after all.

Though, logically it probably did happen every day, just at different parts of the world, but she waved that random thought away.

“This is Jake,” she said when asked. “He’s my Soulmate.” It wasn’t a lie, of course, just a small omission.

The questions for her were reduced, some of them being directed to Jake now. Questions like schooling and what he wanted to do with his life and was he going to be good to Brooke? Brooke almost wished she was like her younger cousin Zoey, who was ten and too young to have a Soulmate.

Brooke rested her head against Jake, until the doorbell rang. She perked up. That had to be Rich, right? He’d said he’d be arriving soon…

She stood and started to walk to the door, but her mother had gotten there first. Brooke internally panicked for a moment, but almost calmed when she saw Rich.

“Um, hi?” Rich said when Brooke’s mom had opened the door.

Brooke intervened before her mother could ask any questions. “Hi,” she said with a relieved smile, grabbing his hand and pulling the boy inside. She and Rich walked over to Jake.

“Brooke?” her father said in question.

Brooke glanced to Jake, then to Rich. Rich gently squeezed her hand. Brooke took a deep breath and turned back to face her family. “This is Rich,” she said. “He’s my Soulmate.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> it is finished and i am tired and i'll probably try to edit more when i wake up
> 
> come yell at me on tumblr: esperinkdraws


End file.
